Federation and Empire

[Stofsk]

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I have borrowed a few things from The Starfleet Museum - A Report by Masao Okazaki. I would urge anyone who considers themself a Star Trek fan to view the contents of this website. It is well worth the effort and a joy to do so.

CHAPTER LIST
PART ONE: THE OLD WARRIORS
Chapter one.
Chapter two.

DRAMATIS PERSONAE
The Vulcans
Molichor
Soval

The Humans
ADM Matthew Decker
ADM Willard Forrest
Ambassador Focher

Other Federation representatives
Ambassador Gavras
Ambassador Shrav Tallas

The Romulans
Algeron
Fenix
ADM Jarok
Commander Ceetok
Chairman Bregal

REFERENCE LIST

A
Algeron, Leshara: Praetor of the RSE after the death of Fenix in 2160. She was the chosen successor of Fenix, and had been Proconsul of the Romulan Senate for years. Her initiative following the Battle of Cheron helped draft the Treaty of Algeron, which ended the four year conflict between the RSE and the UEG lead 'Triple Alliance'.

Andor: Homeworld of the Andorians.

Andorians: One of the major races of the UFP, and one of the founding members, this alien species is characterised by skin that has differing shades of blue. White hair and antennae are other features. The Andorians describe themselves as a violent race and passionate, and this has often brought them into conflict with their stoic neighbours, the Vulcans. Andor was directly threatened by the Romulan fleet during the campaigns prior to the Earth-Romulan War, and when Earth began it's own war with the Romulans they found quick allies with the humans.

Axanar: A major planet of the UFP, which was settled before the Earth-Romulan War. It had been conquered by the RSE in the opening movement of the war, and its population - colonists that numbered mere thousands - were put to death by the Romulans. Some were spared, but the majority were subjected to either prompt execution, or hideous biological experiments. Axanar was later resettled; survivors numbered less than a hundred.

B
Battle of Cheron: The final battle of the Earth-Romulan War, which concluded the hostilities in a sufficiently brutal fashion. The UESN (United Earth Star Navy) prevailed over the combined Romulan defenders of the planet Cheron, which was a stratgic planet the RSE used to begin assaults from many angles of approach. To use an analogy, Cheron was the launch pad for the Earth-Romulan War, and was a formidable RSE frontier planet with rudimentary spacedock facilities, surface installations, a troop training facility, and a garrison comprised of many regiments from the Romulan Army. The Battle of Cheron however, was decided in the skies. Admiral Matthew Decker, after scattering the Romulan Fleet defending Cheron, gave General Order 24 with newly developed antimatter weapons. Days later Praetor Fenix died of heart failure. Weeks later and the Treaty of Alergon established a ceasefire agreement between the two warring states.

C
Cheron: Once considered the 'jewel' in the RSE's Trailing frontier, it was the biggest location of material, logistics, and installations in that part of the RSE. It was home to an indigenous species, the Cheronese, whom the Romulans had conquered decades previously and had put a stop to their insane racial balkanisation. The Cheronese reciprocated by becoming loyal vassals for the Praetor and the Senate, and were the only subject race to have achieved this representation in the Imperial Senate. Cheron's surface was rendered uninhabitable by the UESN Fleet under ADM Decker, who unleashed hundreds of gigatons of antimatter destruction. A good percentage of the Cheronese population was killed. Some considered the orbital bombardment of Cheron to be a disproportionate revenge attack in retaliation for Axanar.

Coreward: Galactic direction; towards the galactic core.

D
Decker, Mathew: Admiral of the UESN battle fleet that conducted the 'scorched earth' campaign of Cheron. Largely villified by the RSE, and considered a war criminal.

E
Earth: Third planet orbiting the star Sol. Homeworld of the human race, and capital world of the United Federation of Planets, previously the United Earth Government. Starfleet Command was erected here, as was Spacedock One.

Earth-Romulan War: Conflict that ignited between the xenophobic RSE and the Vulcan influenced UEG, which later became the so-called 'Triple Alliance' of Andor-Earth-Tellar. The legacy of this conflict, that spanned a mere 6 years, would shape the galaxy in the centuries to come.

F
Fenix, Retalus: Fenix was Praetor of the RSE Senate from 2104-2160. Fenix bowed to internal pressure to conduct a war against many races that had been discovered through surreptitious exploration. Fenix died in 2160 of natural causes.

G
Galactic Directions: Cosmographical convention. As there is no 'north' or 'south' in space, new terms had to be invented to describe galactic directions. Coreward relates to moving towards the galactic core. Rimward relates to moving towards the galactic rim, or generally in the opposite direction of Coreward. Spinward relates to moving towards the direction of galactic spin. Trailing is the opposite to this.

GC: Acronym for Gorn Confederacy.

General Order 1: Starfleet regulation for officer and enlisted conduct. GO1 relates to the restriction of the purposeful and malevolent interference in a planetary culture. See 'Prime Directive'.

General Order 24: Starfleet regulation for commanders. GO24 relates to orbital bombardment. See 'Battle of Cheron' and 'Scorched Earth'.

Gorn: A reptillian alien species who have set up a relatively stable territory to Coreward. Their Rimward borders neighbour with the RSE, and frequent border disputes and clashes are often considered a fact of life for frontier colonists of either side. The Gorn are highly aggressive, and highly territorial, but no expansionistic. Many of their worlds are rich and irradiated, making the mining of these worlds acceptable while no native populations are kept captive.

H
Humanity: Humanity is a species made up of three general races (asian, caucasian, and negroid) that evolved on the third planet of the Sol system, known as Earth. Humans are bipedal, relatively frail when compared next to Vulcanians, intellectually bright and inquisitive when compared next to Klingons. A relatively minor race when compared next to its neighbours.

I


J


K
KE: Acronym for Klingon Empire.

Klingons: Klingons are an alien species who pride themselves on having a fierce warrior culture. Klingons are possessed of a peculiar sense of honour. Klingons are bipedal, have a reinforced cranial skull that show the appearnce of 'head ridges'. They have smaller organs yet have more redundancies, making them damage resistant. However, Klingons are not any stronger than the average human, for instance. Klingon society is characterised by sometime brutish behaviour, sometime machiavellian machinations. Klingon society is generally speaking split between right wing religious extremists who desire isolation, and the slightly more progressive but expansive imperialists, who seek domination over the rest of the quadrant. Klingon society tends to be slightly patriarchial, but females can seek power if they can maintain it.

L


M
MACO: Acronym for Marine Assault Command Operations. The MACO is a light infantry force designed to give Starfleet a quick-response ground force to galactic hotspots. Marines are stationed on UESN and UESPA ships: the former on dedicated troop transports or command carriers; the latter on exploration cruisers to act as landing party specialists and ship security. Pronounced "may-koh."

Memory Alpha: An asteroid on which is located a massive library containing all scientific, historical and cultural information from each planet in the United Federation of Planets. The construction effort began in 2260, to commemorate the centenary remebrance of the end of the Earth-Romulan War. Although construction began in 2260, it would not be complete until 2269. Memory Alpha was the brainchild of Federation Councilman Alison Dane of Earth and Councilman Andras of Andor.

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P
Praetor: Highest ranking Romulan title and the chief of state of the Romulan Senate.

Proconsul: Prestigious rank of the Romulan Senate. Rank is shared with the Vice-proconsul, which is slightly lower in the heirarchy.

Prime Directive: For starfleet officers, the Prime Directive is the most important regulation they must remember when exploring a new world with a new culture. At its heart, the Prime Directive forbids the kind of interference that conquering worlds subject prewarp civilisations to. When it was first formed, it did not regulate first contact or any kind of relations between the Federation and other alien cultures.

Q
Qo: K1 type star, orbited by the KE capital world Qo'nos. Pronounced "Kronos."

Qo'nos: Second planet orbiting the star Qo. It is jungle world full of carnivourous beasts, and is the homeworld of the Klingon species and the capital planet of the Klingon Empire. The Emperor, Chancellor of the High Council, and the High Council both preside here over imperial matters.

Quadrant: Cosmographical terminology, related to the 'splitting' of the galaxy in four large 'quadrants'. These are categorised with Greek alphabetical letters; alpha, beta, gamma, delta. Qo'nos and Rihanasu are both located in the Beta Quadrant. Earth and Vulcan are located in the Alpha Quadrant. Due to the practical limitations of Warp drive, the Gamma and Delta Quadrants remain impossibly out of reach for exploration purposes.

R
Remus: Fourth planet orbiting the star Rihansu. It is colder on average than Romulas, and was found to be generally unpopular for colonisation, though that didn't deter hardy Romulan pioneers. It is considered to be one of the major planets of the RSE.

Rihansu: G3 type star, orbited by the RSE capital worlds Romulas and Remus.

Rimward: Galactic direction; towards the galactic rim.

Romulas: Third planet orbiting the star Rihansu. Living conditions make Romulas a a jewel in the Empire, and the chief capital planet. The Senate and Praetor both convene here, as does the Admiralty.

RSE: Acronym for Romulan Star Empire. The RSE is a quasi authoritarian nation lead by the twin capital worlds of Romulas and Remus. The chief of state is the Praetor of the Senate, and Senators are elected representatives of their worlds or segments (a planetary province).

S
Scorched Earth: Slang term for the aftereffects of orbital bombardment with antimatter or nuclear weaponry.

Sol: G2 type star, orbited by the UFP capital world Earth. In UFP catalogue, it is sector 001.

Spinward: Galactic direction; towards the galactic spin.

Starfleet: Military organisation of the UEG, which later became the military authority of the UFP. Starfleet Academy and Starfleet Command are located in San Francisco, North America. Starfleet had three divisions under the UEG; Marine Assault Command Operations (MACO), the United Earth Space Navy (UESN), and the United Earth Space Probe Agency (UESPA). When the UFP was formed this prioritisation continued in spite of insistence by some contemporaries that both functions of the UESN and UESPN ought to be combined. It was deemed wise to keep the three services distinct and autonomous, with three different missions so as to not dilute personnel training.

Surak: Historical figure of Vulcan, an intellectual and a scholar who recognised that his people's base passions had caused centuries of conflict and balkanisation of his world. Became the 'spiritual' leader of a movement to revolutionise Vulcan society by embracing logic and eschewing emotion; see Surrakian Ethics.

Surakkian Ethics: Named after the Vulcan historical figure, Surak, who lead the Vulcanian race out of the passionate intensity that almost destroyed their culture. Surakkian Ethics is characterised by a disdain (though not a complete rejection) of emotion, and an embrace of logic. Vulcans who adhere to Surrakian Ethics can therefore be generalised to favour logic over any outward displays of emotion, and will reach their decisions through rationality and pragmatism. It is widely assumed, though completely inaccurate, to assume Vulcans do not lie or act without emotion.

T
Tellar: Homeworld of the Tellarites.

Tellarites: One of the major races of the UFP, and one of the founding members, this alien species is characterised by porcine facial features, a proud and sturdy demeanour, and hairy faces. The Tellarites describe themselves as a proud race, agressive, but not violent or warlike. Instead, their fiery temperaments are put to best use in council rooms and conferences. They will sometimes take the contrarian view to test the oppositions intellectual argument and resolve, even if they happen to agree with them. Tellar joined forces with Andor and Earth to beat back Romulan fleets that had invaded their territory.

Trailing: Galactic direction; opposite of galactic spin.

Treaty of Algeron: Agreement between diplomats of the UEG lead 'Triple Alliance' and the RSE under Praetor Algeron, that ended the four year running conflict between the UEG and the RSE, as well as the six year conflict between the Andorian Hegemony and the RSE. The agreement, conducted entirely through subspace radio, stipulated that no Romulan expansion would be tolerated in the direction of Trailing, which would be guarded by outposts constructed by Earth. The treaty also included the setup of the Romulan Neutral Zone, which Praetor Algeron devised as a mutual assurance that none of the Triple Alliance races would expand Spinward and through her stars.

U
UEG: Acronym for United Earth Government. This governing body opposed the RSE in the Earth/Romulan War of 2156-2160. Measures passed that lead to the formation of the UFP.

UESN: Acronym for United Earth Space Navy. Division of the Starfleet military service that deals with orbital defence of Federation planets, and although other races are allowed entry into Starfleet academy, the vast majority of entrants are human. Pronounced "yoo-snah."

UESPA: Acronym for United Earth Space Probe Agency. Division of the Starfleet military service that deals with reconnaisance, surveillance, first contact and exploration. In essence it is a diplomatic corps combined with intelligence gathering. Pronounced "yoo-spah."

UFP: Acronym for United Federation of Planets. Often shortened to the Federation. The Federation Council holds its assembly on Earth in the Sol system.

V
Vulcan: Homeworld of the Vulcanian race, of which the Romulans are a member of. Vulcan is hot, arid, has a higher gravity than Earth, and is thinner in oxygen content - though not to any degree that a human would find impossible to live under, merely uncomfortable.

Vulcanians: An alien species that comprises many disparate races, two of which chiefly include the Vulcans (named after their homeworld, and followers of Surakian Ethics), and the Romulans (again, named after the world in which they first settled in the Rihansu solar system, a self-affirmed passionate people). Vulcanians possess a humanoid appearance, yet have different physiologies than humans, including copper-based blood (which is green in colour), different anatomies, increased adrenal glands that can allow a Vulcanian to marshal great strength (though at the risk of damaging themselves), pointed and hypersensitive ears. Vulcanians are telepathic. Finally, Vulcanians enjoy longevity and have common age spans of 200 years, though this can be attributed to purposeful geneering treatments. Personality differ amongst individuals, yet it can be said that Vulcans are generally logical and stoic, while Romulans are generally passionate and proud. Vulcanians often possess a arrogant and sometimes contemptuous demeanor of other races, and both Vulcans and Romulans often engage in Machiavellian styles of politics. Vulcans meditate on a regular basis, as their passions nearly destroyed them; see Surrakian Ethics.

W
Warp drive: Mode of FTL travel. Revolutionised galactic affairs in the form of political expansion and exploration activities.

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Z

[Stofsk]

FEDERATION AND EMPIRE
by Chris Szitovszky






PART ONE: THE OLD WARRIORS

• EARTH-ROMULAN WAR-...was the name given to the conflict surrounding the annexation of numerous border worlds orbiting Romulan territory, involving the Romulan Star Empire under Praetor Fenix, and a multi-planet coalition formed and lead by the United Earth Government, under President...
  
  ...causes included a desire to expand existing borders of the RSE and to acquire prestige, but these were all minor reasons. Internally, Praetor Fenix was under a great deal of pressure to conquer the Vulcans and their ancestral (though by no means current) homeworld. It is ironic that this was the ultimate aim of the campaign, which started when numerous battlefleets launched from the Trailing frontier world of Cheron. Vulcan itself would remain untouched by the conflict, which would in large part be fought by humanity, a minor race at the time who were considered little more than a subject race of the Vulcans...
  
  ...For all the bloodshed that was the end result of this war, its aftereffects would reverberate across the quadrant, and would result in the birth of the United Federation of Planets...
  
  - Reproduced with permission from MEMORY ALPHA.

1.

Across the stars, a war was waged.

It didn't matter to some. His name was Molichor, and he came from the planet Vulcan. A student of Surak, he walked the path of logic, of reason, and of nonviolence. But he was also a pragmatist, like many of his race, and while that meant he followed the path of nonviolence, he wasn't a slave to it. It was a razor's edge he walked down. He more than anyone else alive, knew the dangers of falling a slave to passion, or of becoming a pacifist.

Dozens of worlds had been attacked by an invading force known as the Romulans. They had launched from Cheron, a planet of gentle hills and deep valleys. A planet of depth, of history... and of violence. Civil violence between the Cheronese. He had visited once before, interacted with its people, and had been reminded that falling victim to passion often meant you became somebody else's victimiser. He had seen this happen many times.

He had met the Romulans when they first came. He couldn't help but admire their Occupation's efficiency. Over a period of weeks, and then months, they put a cease to the absurd Cheronese balkanisation. They put them to work. And work they did.

Cheron was industrial and proud. Ships orbited and troops trained, weapons were made, and weapons were used. Five billion Cheronese owed their alleigance to the Praetor, and they did so willingly. They did so gladly. When they looked up at the night sky and saw their stars look down upon them, they could feel pride. But after today, their stars would be silent - and the Cheronese will do nothing but hate them ever again.

"So far we've launched a hundred of the new antimatter weapons. They have detonated at various points on the surface of Cheron and have caused widespread destruction. We predict the surface conditions will render the planet uninhabitable in the long term."

Molichor listened to the briefing, brought out of his reverie for the past and back into the stark reality of the present. That had been a world he walked on, once.

"Casualties?" asked a grim looking man in his spotless Admiral's uniform and clean shaven face. Admiral Decker. A human.

"Over two hundred million as of one hour ago." replied the junior officer. The subject matter did not seem to perturb the young man. Fascinating, thought Molichor. Such discipline, such dispassion. "The Romulan Fleet was scattered days ago, and are not in a position to effectively evacuate the Cheronese. But they try, anyway."

"Not if they have to get through our blockade first."

Molichor only permitted a slight raise of his eyebrow.

"Admiral?"

His colleague was not so self-restrained.

"What is it, Soval?"

"Surely a blockade need not remain in effect. What we see here is the end of this war." The gathered men had assembled in a conference room in the flagship UESNS Peremptory. The viewer had been busy depicting the surface conditions, details of space wreckage, and of the fleet gathered in orbit. "What possible excuse could one find in denying any evacuation of the planet? In a few week's time it will be impossible to find anyone alive down there."

"This blockade will remain in effect until the war concludes. Not a second more."

And that was that. Soval looked prepared to counterattack, but Molichor restrained him with a gentle touch of his wrist.

"I've already explained the decisions that lead to my ordering an orbital bombardment. The cost of an invasion would be too high. We would have been up to our knees in blood, likely our own. The Cheronese, by all intel reports, would not have surrendered. The Romulans, hell, they were readying for a fight. They had set up distruptor cannons, nuclear mines - one clipped the Santiago. Five hundred men and women, gone in a flash."

"Five hundred humans weigh equally with five billion Cheronese, Admiral?" countered Soval. Molichor rebuked him for the question with a sharper touch. Enough of this, Soval.

They are barbarians! came Soval's reply.

They are our responsibility. This was our mistake as much as it was theirs. This did not need to happen the way it did, but it has. Time to rectify our mistakes, and build something more lasting.

We should never have let them leave their world.

We had a choice in the matter?

Soval chose not to reply. In their telepathic contact the two had missed part of the conversation. Now the Tellarites had attacked Soval and the Vulcans for what they saw as yet another fence-sitting position. Their Ambassador, Gavras, said:

"No, you choose to stay out this war! We, the humans, the Andors, we fight this war while you stay behind and comment from behind. Now you throw at us criticism? We laugh at you."

"When a pig laughs he makes a sound like a snort." replied Soval, matter-of-factly.

"At least the pig has friends." This came from the Andorian contingent, lead by Ambassador Shrav Tallas.

"Soval, be silent." said Molichor calmly. What has come upon Soval? he wondered. He allows his passions to rule him; most unlike him. "We are not here to comment on the war's end. What we have witnessed is the solution to a problem that faced us all. I think it has been adequately solved as of this moment, am I correct Admiral?" Admiral Decker merely shrugged. "Ambassador Gavras' claims of our neutrality is not entirely accurate, and I would hate to remind you all of this. Our intelligence agents and scouts kept a steady stream of information coming to you from behind the lines. We told you where to go, who to attack, and with how much force. We simply chose not to violate our principles by initiating violence. We never denied you the use of this information, and of other resources. We resupplied you, provided logistics, provided medical evacuations. I for one think our contribution, though not the same as this triple alliance held here, did assist you in this fight that threatened us all."

"A fight that threatened us, not you." cried Gavras.

"Must you take the contrarian view of everything?" asked Soval, a touch too impatiently.

"How right you are, Gavras. This was a fight that involved you, and your people, and we were not in any immediate danger. But danger we would have been in, eventually. Had the Romulans conquered Tellar totally rather than limitedly, and if their Andor campaign had been successful, and if they had orbited Earth unopposed, then wouldn't we have all been in trouble?"

"No, you would be in trouble! We would be dead!"

"As you say." Molichor could not allow his amusement to be displayed, but felt it burning under his cheeks nonetheless. Tellarites do not argue for reasons.They simply argue.

"In any case, I believe we have diverged from this gathering significantly." started Shrav Tallas, his antennae quivering. "We have come here to see for ourselves the end of years of conflict, and to build on the future. The Andorian Hegemony took death tolls in the millions before any here entered the war against the conquerors. We have seen with our own eyes the price of conflict from enemies... and from friends." As he said this last word, there was a brief glare from Tallas to Soval, and then Molichor. Old warriors fight the hardest, but die the longest, thought Molichor.

"The question that prevails, is what do we do now? We have lost ships, and warriors, but we still have enough to stab into the very heart of this 'Star Empire'. Do we sit still and wait a century, and face another onslaught from our would-be conquerors?"

"Absolutely not!" exclaimed Gavras. "This is not the time to show mercy. We show the Romulans what they show us! We show them the path of conquerors."

"If I may interject a little realism?" began Admiral Decker. "This combined alliance fleet numbers just under a hundred. We lost a dozen, frontline warships in this attack. The Santiago, the Ghorman, the Oklak. Ships from all our three sides. Battleships and escort vessels. Thousands dead. We destroyed just a shade under that on the Romulan side. Their ships are better, their defences are entrenched and from here on out it'll be an uphill battle. What we have to realise is if we continue, it will mean more dead. If this is what needs to be done, then I will give the order to be under way. But I urge you all to think about it."

Are they tired of war? thought Molichor. He carefully considered the members of this council of war. Admiral Decker, grim faced and yet impecabble, the consumate soldier. Shrav Tallas maintained an inscrutability in expression, but his culture prided itself in war and violence. Finally Gavras, who held the facade of aggression. For all Gavras' bluster he knows more than the other's the cost this war has taken on Tellar and his people. They may be slaves to their passion but they are an honest people. He asked: "Ambassador Gavras, how capable are your people willing to be in order to continue this war?"

"We... cannot continue like this." said Gavras carefully. "The Romulans destroyed our industry, made us poor. We starve. Fifteen provinces die to no food. No heat. Millions freeze. We are tired of this war. We are tired of dying. We need to rebuild. Instead of build ships we need to build farms. Food. Power. Warmth. Many die before this happens."

Everyone knew that the Tellarites had struggled hard to shake off the yoke the Romulans had forced onto them. In retaliation, the Romulans had bombed the Tellarite homeworld from orbit, with nuclear bombs and distruptor cannons. Millions had died to nuclear fireballs and fallout before an Andorian fleet could intervene. Millions more would die to hunger and disease, when perhaps only thousands need suffer if resources were to be redirected away from the war effort and towards helping the Tellarites. Would this be decided by this council, or by the Romulans? wondered Molichor.

"The Andorian people never tire of a fight. We will continue."

"Ambassador Tallas," replied the human Ambassador Focher. "Would you fight alone and unaided by the Tellarites?"

"Only if the Humans don't aid us as well."

"We will decide what to do when the Triple Alliance decides what to do. When this war first began, there were - 'scuse me, are, even now- calls to fight all the way to Romulas and bomb them just as we did to Cheron. Quite strident calls as well. No-one enjoys being the subject of an unprovoked attack like we suffered. I'm sure you would agree."

"We would."

"Ambassador Gavras?"

"We do agree."

"Yet we have successfully beaten back the Romulans. We have fought them in the skies above our worlds - Tellar, Andor, Earth and Alpha Centauri. We fought them all the way spinward. We fought them with our ships and with our bombs. We pushed them back. Beat them back. We paid the price for that, and that has brought us here. We orbit the death of an entire planet. We caused it. We desired it. Because we needed to end this war. Do we continue, and kill another planet? Do we punish the Romulans so severely, gentlemen, so totally, that they will never threaten any one of us again?

"Can we do it? Tellarites die if we do. And so do Romulans."

"If I may interject," said Molichor. "But this discussion may very well be premature. The Romulans may not give us the choice."

"What you mean?" demanded Gavras.

"The Ambassador refers to the the Romulan Armada." replied another human Admiral, this one's name was Forrest. He was subordinate to Decker, but no less vociferous in his condemnation of the strike on Cheron - behind closed doors of course. Molichor knew because of Soval. And Soval knew... well, Molichor didn't know how exactly his colleague knew. Just that Forrest was under his influence, whether by choice or through awareness, Molichor did not know.

"What about it?"

"We could expect a counterattack. We expected heavier resistance than what we got. There should have been dozens of Romulan Cabbages in orbit of Cheron. We had to contend with twenty seven at the Battle for Hell's Gate. We were expecting more. In fact, the Vulcan intel promised us more. So where are they?"

Gavras spun around and accused the Vulcans with a glare.

"Is this true?"

"It was true as of a week ago, which were the last recorded images of the Romulan fleet in orbit of Cheron. The humans jumped out of warp five days ago, and engaged what was left of the Romulan defence of Cheron."

Molichor used the console in front of him to call up a file in his prepared documents, and signaled the computer to display it to the gathering. The wall display which had been showing a by-the-minute uplink from the Fleet's sensors, set to jump from ship to ship, or probe to probe, now showed footage from a reconnaisance microtorpedo a Vulcan cruiser had launched from Cheron's Oort cloud one week ago. The probe had been tiny, about the size of a briefcase. Yet it could give sensor readings, photography and radar readings of the gathered fleet. Arranged in orbit of Cheron was at least forty Romulan Sabinus-class cruisers, codenamed 'Cabbage'-class, and dozens of other smaller ships.

"This was the expected opposition, some cause for concern if I recall correctly."

"Yes." offered Admiral Decker. "We were expecting a fight and heavy losses. We would have outnumbered them two to one. But still..."

"Instead, the fleet found-" Now Molichor switched to another file. "-lighter warships, fodder for your guns and torpedoes. The gathered fleet had been recalled."

"Recalled? By whom? For what purpose?" shot off Gavras in quick succession.

"Logically, the admiral in charge of the fleet. Or someone in the Romulan authority who gave the order through subspace. We don't know for certain, and to speculate would be worthless. However, through analysis of the battle debris my staff discovered something interesting..." The image on display showed debris of the Romulan defenders. "These ships were local ships. They were crewed and supported by Cheronese, or Romulans born on Cheron. In whichever case, it appears the Romulans abandoned the world that was their main base for this invasion, for purposes which are not... immediately clear.

"In addition, Naval Intelligence was able to listen to their subspace radio transmissions." revealed Admiral Decker. Molichor raised his eyebrows, as did Soval. This was news to them. "We haven't yet been able to decipher the transmissions, but we know that whoever was on the other end got a piece of the other guy's mind."

"Are you saying there was some kind of disagreement?" inquired Soval.

"Obviously."

"Well, what we have here is a phantom fleet and an unknown enemy - still." Focher addressed the gathering once more. "We have radioed the Romulans since the battle was won days ago, demanding their surrender. No reply.

"But what do we do if they radio back and bare their teeth again? What do we do if we eat silence? One choice is to end it here, now. Withdraw to our space and rebuild. Take care of our people. Take care of the Tellarites." Focher nodded toward Gavras, who replied the same. "Or, what? We gathered this council today to discuss options."

Molichor had anticipated the question, and knew the implications for what would happen if the war continued. Certain truths would be revealed, truths that would threaten him and his planet. This had been a war where ultimate destruction rested in spaceships that ended up as spinning, irradiated wreckage. For four years no one had seen a captured Romulan. Their ships had been rigged for self destruction as a matter of course; their troopers would rather vaporise themselves than be taken alive. They were as stubborn as they were shy of revealing their appearance.

Molichor hoped they remained that way.

"So what are the options?" asked Tallas.

"It all depends on whether the Romulans surrender. Or not. If they do we can negotiate with them on terms. If not... then..."

"Then we continue." finished Tallas.

"Yes." Affirmed Decker. "The fleet can make a jump straight into Romulan space from here. We're resupplied, reequipped. Just pick a target."

"What terms would be negotiated?"

Focher turned to answer.

"That's one of the things we hoped to discuss today. We do not have the overwhelming force needed to guarantee Romulan capitulation. I doubt the Romulans would agree to allow us to occupy them. We will still demand it, but we won't expect it. Reparations will be demanded, but not practical to expect. Given the psychology of Romulans, we doubt they will bother to respect such things."

"So what purpose is there in negotiation?"

"The purpose, Ambassador, is to find a solution that does not require bloodshed." interjected Molichor.

"Yes, absolutely, that's what we have to understand. To fight this war further means more death. Not just on our troop's and spacecrew's side, or even on the Romulan side. But on the civilian side. We beat back their invasion, we beat back their attacks on each of our separate worlds. Our fight lasted for four bloody years. We now stand at the door, and where we choose to go from here is up to you all. Admiral Forrest?"

"Thank you Mister Ambassador. Gentlemen we have three options. One, to return home. This likely won't appeal to all of you, and I don't blame you. Option two, we press on. Ambassador Gavras can count the dead up to three point seven million. That's from lack of food alone. The figure escalates if you take into account losses to winter, disease, and the like, and if more assaults like Cheron are to occur, we can expect casualties from our fleets and troops to number in the tens of thousands. If we fight on we can count the Romulan's casualties in the millions as well. Costly, but this could very well be the simplest solution."

"Simplest does not imply the superior." stated Soval, almost chidingly.

"Quite right. With discussion between myself and the Vulcans, we have hit on a third idea. Surveillance."

The other's gathered looked confused as Forrest paused for a moment. "Instead of pushing into their space, or them pushing back into ours with their regrouped armada, we set up bases along these predetermined points in space-" Forrest had gained control of the display, and was showing them all a representation of what he had planned. "-a series of... monitoring outposts. This section here will have a dozen. Here, eight. They will be constructed out of hollowed-out asteroids, crewed by a few dozen and outfitted with weaponry, long range scanners, and subspace radio transceivers."

Tallas looked dubious.

"The battlestation we fought in orbit of Cheron were outfitted with much as you describe, yet it destroyed merely two of our light cruisers before succumbing to our fire. Who's to say the same thing won't occur to these 'monitoring' outposts? These asteroids won't even have formidable firepower - the Romulans will take this as a threat? Rubbish."

"Not quite, Mister Ambassdor. The asteroid outposts will be lightly armed, yes - but that's the trick. Think of the asteroid outposts as an inscrutable face. Because it will appear deceptively simple to breach, that means to a Romulan's mind the deterrent is behind the face. You'll have to excuse the analogy, that's the way my psychologists put it to me.

"They - the Romulans - will expect the asteroids to be lightly armed, but easily reinforced. If we station an impressive fleet in this area, far enough away to not appear an immediate threat, but close enough to quickly enforce the outposts, we can increase the deterrent nature of these asteroid outposts. If the Romulans attack, they can be tied up by a dozen of the outposts, long enough for the battle fleet to warp in and counterattack. They lose the initiative, which means they lose the war before it can even start.

"With out prearranged bases along the border of this zone, we will be in the superior position."

"How long?" asked Tallas.

"I'm sorry?"

"How long will we be in the superior position?"

"That... depends on the future, gentlemen."

Interesting nonanswer. Ironically, it may be the only reply honest enough to for Tallas. thought Molichor.

One of the Admiral Decker's aides received a call from the bridge. "Yes Captain, what is it?"

"Sir - we're receiving a message from Romulas. They're calling to negotiate."

[Admiral Bravo]

This sounds like a pretty good fanfic, but does it deal completly with the Earth-Romulan war?

[Crown]

I like it, and I'm about as ignorant and apathetic to ST as someone can be and be a member of this board, I want to see where you are going with this, and I'll read more. One minor problem;

"Yes. The fleet can make a jump straight into Romulan space from here. We're resupplied, reequipped. Just pick a target."

Jump? Doesn't sound STish to me, but then again I could be wrong. Also the use of nuclear bombs doesn't sound very STish, but certainly is an improvement.

[Stofsk]

This sounds like a pretty good fanfic, but does it deal completly with the Earth-Romulan war?

Not at all. The title is deceptive.

I like it, and I'm about as ignorant and apathetic to ST as someone can be and be a member of this board, I want to see where you are going with this, and I'll read more.

Thanks, man.

"Yes. The fleet can make a jump straight into Romulan space from here. We're resupplied, reequipped. Just pick a target."

Jump? Doesn't sound STish to me, but then again I could be wrong. Also the use of nuclear bombs doesn't sound very STish, but certainly is an improvement.

As to the jump, it just sounds cool but also fits with the look. On the show, you see the starships make a 'jump' into warp. Pseudomotion.

As to the nuclear bombs, they were actually referenced on the show as the types of weapons that were used in this particular time period. I made the 'new AM bombs' to be the next best thing from R&D.

Reading over it, I found that there's more than a few spelling errors. But I'm concerned that the start seems too dry or dull. It is a lot of talking. And it starts at the end of the conflict. (though this kind of fits with what I was hoping for and fits with the style of the chapter)

The next immediate chapter will deal with the Romulan perspective; both these chapters are meant to have a 'history in the making' feel. Then subsequent chapters will focus on the 'little man who history stepped on' theme. More will follow... after sleep.

[Crown]

But I'm concerned that the start seems too dry or dull. It is a lot of talking. And it starts at the end of the conflict. (though this kind of fits with what I was hoping for and fits with the style of the chapter)

So did 'The Godfather', one of my favourite movies of all time, so far you are doint fine.

The next immediate chapter will deal with the Romulan perspective; both these chapters are meant to have a 'history in the making' feel. Then subsequent chapters will focus on the 'little man who history stepped on' theme. More will follow... after sleep.

Cool, they're about the only ST species I like.

[Crazedwraith]

Looks prretty good. The Tellarite Person said Andors instead of Andorians though...

[Stofsk]

Looks prretty good. The Tellarite Person said Andors instead of Andorians though...

Yes. He's an alien, and he's speaking broken english. It's not his first language by any stretch of the imagination.

Bump. I've updated both posts, and I will now begin working on chapter two. I have repaired some of the spelling errors and added new lines. I hope you enjoy.

[Knife]

I like. I like alot.

There wasn't any 'visual' battle to grab you, but more implied 'battle' which I find as intriguing as real battle.

Well done, Stofsk. I like that you based this off of the phuedo history off of the Starfleet museum too.

Basically, one hell of a start, hope you follow up.

[Stofsk]

FEDERATION AND EMPIRE
by Chris Szitovszky

• THE TREAY OF ALGERON-...The Treaty of Algeron would be often considered one of the most important and quadrant-forming developments of history, and an event that would lead to the eventual thawing of relations between the RSE and the UFP...
  
  ...Praetor Leshara Algeron was the brainchild of this treaty, which was named after her by Romulan diplomats. Principal in her mind was the formation of the 'neutral zone' between the RSE and UFP, which would act as a buffer zone between the two empire's and their sovereign territory, and prevent another war between the two empires...
  
  - Reproduced with permission from MEMORY ALPHA.

2.

Wars often brought chaos and uncertainty to those who waged them. This can often lead to a sudden and abrupt change in leadership.

It was for this reason that Leshara Algeron looked up at the night sky with worry. Orbiting her world in that night sky was the proud warfleet of the Romulan Star Empire. Or what was left of it, at any rate. Soon she would have to discover where their loyalties lay. Until then, she had enemies to deal with in the Senate chambers. Unfortunately, while they did not have the firepower a fleet of cruisers could inflict, they nevertheless had other weapons at their disposal.

They would have to wait, she thought.

Leshara became a senator at a young age. Still young enough to be considered attractive, though not so attractive as to be dismissed by her colleagues as a court princess and nothing more. Her long black hair was tied up in an attractive braid and her sharp emerald eyes shone out with an intensity of expression that could wither her opponents in debate. Her youth only increased the value of her accomplishments, although worry lines had begun to manifest themselves on her face. Unlike other females of her race, she did not bother with vanity to the exclusion of all else. Not when there was a war being waged that killed her people day by day.

She was not a princess, and she did not come from the noblest of bloodlines. Her ancestry came from the colony world of Vetok. She became a republican and a Senator, and represented her world and her people for ten years. The relative prosperity of her world afforded her success in representing it in the senate, but then this only gave her career a boost. At the age of thirty-five, Leshara had become Vice-Proconsul of the Romulan Senate. That had been the start of the war with the Andorians and Tellarites. Four years later, the war that had disastrously expanded to face the Earthers saw a change in Romulas' fortunes in the Battle for Hell's Gate. That was when she had become Proconsul, in a manner that showed the Romulan intolerance for failure; her predecessor, Proconsul Osrek, had called for war. He had become one of its casualties due to his incompetence.

Unfortunately, and as much as she would have liked to believe otherwise, her promotion had not come as a result of her merits.

We can be so passionate in intensity that all reason is revoked, she thought. The end result becomes violence. Her predecessors had not vacated their positions willingly.

At first, the wars had gone well. Officially, the war had been the Praetor's initiative, despite Osrek's call for it. Yet Leshara knew Praetor Fenix, and knew that this wasn't so. She wondered if that bit of historical fact will ever make it to the scholars that will inevitably look back at this time and declare it a monumental waste.

Obviously, the Romulan fortune took a turn for the worst. That was what brought Leshara her position in the Senate, to her bitter amusement. And that was what brought her to the Praetor's chambers this evening.

She had only waited the briefest of moments to stare at the night sky. To collect my thoughts, she rationalised. One appeared before the Praetor with her wits about her, or not at all.

She started down the wide corridor that lead down to the Praetor's personal chambers. At the end guarding the doorway were two Praetorian sentinels. Handpicked from the finest the Imperial Marines could offer, the Praetorians resembled stoic statues. No glimpse of feeling or awareness could be seen from their inscrutable faces. And there they stood, as living monuments to hidden Romulan passion coupled with steadfast loyalty, for they would fight to the death if commanded to.

Leshara passed them without any acknowledgement or challenge. She was expected by her Praetor, and that meant she was afforded a certain privilege. She entered through the doorway which closed behind her. There, laying down on his bed, was the Praetor. He was flanked by another pair of sentinels.

He is dying, but not quickly enough for the scavengers, security is tight. The thought of any who would attack Retalus Fenix, Praetor of the Romulan Star Empire, as he lay in bed an old and dying man, disgusted her.

He had feigned sleep. Still canny and alert, even if weak. She couldn't help but smile. He returned the expression.

"Leave us." he commanded to the two statues. They came alive and departed, swiftly and surely.

"My lord sent for me." she announced, formally though heartily.

"Come and sit next to me, Leshara." She did so.

"My lord?"

"No doubt you wonder why I have summoned you at this hour. I am dying."

She didn't say anything. There was nothing that could be said.

"I have tried my hardest to maintain the dignity this office demands, but no longer am I able to. Soon, I will die. And the Empire dies with me, so it seems, unless a replacement can be offered to the Senate. I have chosen you to be that replacement."

This did not surprise her. This had been what she anticipated. This had been what she dreaded.

"Well? Say something. Before I pass away." He coughed with emphasis and a smile.

"My lord... thank you."

"Hah! Thank me? You will curse me by tommorow's end, if you have any sense. And if you live."

"I am too young. I will not be accepted."

"And who makes that decision?"

"You do, of course-"

"No! No, I do not! You do, Leshara. That is the most important instruction I can give you. The endorsement of a dead man means nothing to your colleagues - to the people, yes, they have a strong sense of tradition and of respect - but to your fellow Senators, nothing is sacred. So to fit the role I have forced upon you, only you can accept it. Everything else - everything important - will follow." The strain of his exclamation tired him, and Leshara could see how hard he struggled to remain conscious through it all. Just as he seemed to nod off, his eyes opened and focused on her sharply. "Do you accept it?"

"I do." she replied, without hesitation.

"Then... you are ready." he sighed. Once again he appeared almost asleep, but at the last moment opened his eyes and looked at her. "Now you will tell me your plan of attack, before I am no longer able to give you advice."

"I have ordered the fleet to warp home at best possible speed. They arrived in the last hour and came from Cheron. They report that it has been bombed."

"How severely?"

"A primary evacuation of the planet is necessary."

"That bad? Heh, I take it Senator Bele will become a fast enemy of all who wronged him. I'd watch him if I were you."

"Bele has already begun marshalling supporters to rise against you."

"Rise against you, Leshara."

It was hard getting used to. Soon she will be the leader of just under a hundred worlds and billions of citizens and subjects. It felt daunting.

"Senator Bele knows of the burning retreat strategy the Senate voted upon and he opposed it. He is understandably dismayed and distressed that his people's decades of loyalty should be repayed by burning the worlds of the frontier before they can be used by our enemies. This includes his own world."

"If we cannot have it, no-one can." Fenix remarked. It was only now that she noted he was crying.

"This is not what I wanted for our people Leshara. History will remember me as the monster who started this war, but it will not remember the full story."

"I will strive to honour your memory, my lord. I'll see to it that history remembers you fondly."

"You will do no such thing Leshara!" Fenix exclaimed. Leshara was taken aback by the sudden forcefulness the old man displayed. "You will demonise me, make me out to be the devil who started this war. The great traitor of the Romulan people! That is the only title I deserve. And it will aid you in distinguishing yourself from me. 'Before me was the tyrant and warmonger! I offer something better'."

Leshara felt confused. She knew that there had been hidden reasons for going to war against the Trailing Frontiers. She had also known those reasons were hidden for a purpose she hadn't been able to divine.

"My lord, I wish you would not think of yourself in such a way."

"No matter. What are your plans?"

"With the fleet home, I will begin to consolidate support among the admirals. I will have their support if I am to lead."

"How will you do this." It was a question but his tone gave the impression of command.

"There are two admirals who have my attention. Jarok, who organised the defence of Cheron. I recalled him, and I doubt he will be happy over the matter. He is old, but experienced. The other is Commander Creetok. Creetok is ambitious and young, a good combination. He comes from Vetok as I do, and that gives us a bond of familiarity. I have given them notice to meet with me here."

"How do you know you can trust them?"

"Jarok despises me for recalling him and his fleet. It cannot be helped, Cheron was doomed as was this invasion from the onset."

"You needn't defend your actions to me, Leshara, but I appreciate you practicing rebuttals on my deathbed." He smiled at her, and she returned the affection.

"I've received backlash from both the admiralty and the Senate over this decision. I've accounted for it in the following ways: first, Jarok is a patriot, and a defender of Romulas. Two, the war cannot be won. He knows this, but doesn't accept it. Someone like Creetok does. Third, I intend to internalise our expansion."

"Oh?"

"Yes. The senate's decision to implement the burning retreat is an abomination. I intend to rectify that mistake by having Senator Rorshar summarily executed for treason."

"Treason? I'm sure Rorshar only thought he was doing the Romulan people a service by ordering retreating fleets to burn their worlds from orbit."

"I doubt those same citizens and subjects would think likewise, my lord."

"No of couse not. Elaborate on what you meant by 'internalising' our expansion."

"Disloyal senators will be imprisoned. Worlds that had been killed in such a manner will serve as their final destination. On other matters, our frontier colonies to Rimward and Coreward starve thanks to the destruction of the merchant fleet. At the same time, deterrence needs to be reinforced along those directions, lest the colonies themselves rebel. Or come under attack. Instead of expanding towards Trailing, which was the stated goal of this war, we will instead expand to Spinward."

"There is little in that direction, report the scouts that have gone and returned."

"Then expansion will be slow, if at all."

Fenix grunted but said nothing more.

"This is all internal. As for the Trailing frontiers, I intend to isolate ourselves from them. Completely."

Leshara had hoped this would provoke a reaction from her leader, who had closed her eyes. She continued on.

"I will start by issuing a ceasefire through subspace radio. Then negotiations for a treaty will commence. Terms will need to be hammered out. I have proposed a 'neutral zone' which could serve as a buffer between our Empire and their civilisations. Why did we start this war? The true answer escapes me."

Fenix smiled. He opened his eyes and stared back at her.

"What is the answer that you know?"

"That the expansion into the Trailing frontier was to give the Empire a boost in resources and fortune. That the people desired a war to bring the Empire to new heights. And so on. None of it real, all of it manufactured for the Senate's and the public's benefit. Or in this case, to their detriment. If I am to function as leader, I must know why we went to war. As far as I know, you are the only person who knows the truth."

"No, not the only person... and certainly not the whole truth." There was something in Fenix's tone that betrayed a feeling of... regret? Or was it remorse? "You know that we are not born of this world, do you?"

Leshara took a moment to figure out what Fenix was referring to.

"Yes. We evolved on another world, somewhere in the galaxy."

"The world is to Trailing. It is the world of our ancestors. It is hot and dry, and beats with the heart of us all. Yet we are cut off from it.

"That world, is Vulcan."

Leshara nodded.

"I have read the intelligence reports that said-"

"-Nothing of consequence, because in the end they found us first." Fenix coughed, and this time with genuine discontent. His frail frame shuddered and Leshara found herself fetching a glass of water to offer the old man. He took it without acknowledgement. "In the end, they were among us, first."

"Among us! Are you certain?"

"Absolutely. Your predecessors found this out, and it cost them their lives. On the other hand, they were the ones who started this war under the pretence of finding Vulcan and invading it."

It all came together in Leshara's mind.

"Yes! This was an invasion not of the barbarians, but of Vulcan. Leshara, they are here, do you understand? They know about us, our ways, our society and culture. They study us like a bug watcher studies a bettle under his microscope. We are a curiosity to them." Fenix spat the last part out.

"Why hasn't the Senate been informed?" she asked.

"Informed them of what? We do not know how many of them are here, they thwart our efforts of security. They're cunning... methodical. Your predecessor's found out by some blackmail attempts of theirs. They seek to manipulate us into adopting their way of thought, their ideologies of peace and logic. Surakkian Ethics. Yes! I see you recognise the name, and no doubt the significance this bears on our discussion. They want us to be just like them!"

Leshara could barely accept what she was hearing. Surak's philosophies of rampant pacificism and dogged devotion to rationalism was what drove her ancestors to leave Vulcan for good. Now it seemed her ancestor's enemies have sought them out. But up until now, she had considered this account to be fanciful and mythic.

"So the invasion of Vulcan was meant as... retribution?"

"Nothing so crass. The threat was overstated, and as you recall the call for war was by no means unanimous." She did; the vote to go to war against the Trailing frontier garnered a slim majority, as many Senators, including herself, did not feel it was worthwhile to invade and conquer many worlds barely in reach of Romulas' fleet. She also remembered how the call for war had come from Proconsul Osrek, not the Praetor. "No, they were acting out of fear. I had them killed for that."

"You had them killed?"

"Of course. Though, it would be more accurate to say 'I allowed them to be killed'."

"My lord! But why?"

"You ask me that question when you know full well that millions of our citizens and subjects are no longer counted among the living? As we speak, a dozen worlds fall into ruin as we abandon our pride before the barbarians. That is what this war has cost us."

Leshara felt numb. Before she had entered the Praetor's chambers this evening, she thought she knew the way her world worked. She had just been proven wrong.

Oh, it was not at all surprising that Senators and yes, even Proconsuls felt the blade of the Praetor. It was, however, uncommon to have leadership change swiftly and Senators replaced by a knife in the dark. But the Praetor never did it himself. Once he has the fleet behind him leadership is secure. That is why most politcal 'landscaping' took the form of rival Senators competing with each other and jockeying for a superior position. What the Praetor had just told her amounted to a stark reality check. Is this what will be expected of me? she wondered. Then she caught the implication of her Praetor's remark.

"You said you allowed them to be killed. I take that to mean you let the Vulcans deal with them?"

"Yes... and no. The Vulcans have no stomach for killing, and I can't say I blame them. The Vulcans came to our world after encountering our scouts who were surveying the Trailing frontiers. They're a curious breed. They are intellectually aggressive but nonviolent. Though, there have been exceptions. They considered Osrek a hawk who would try to destroy them; they attempted blackmail, without taking into account the rage a man like Osrek would invoke at being blackmailed. He then called for war, much to their chagrin." He chuckled at the irony. "In a sense, they came here to prevent a war but in doing so, precipated one. The greater irony of course is Vulcan was never touched by this war."

"But why did you allow him to be killed?" asked Leshara.

"Because this war was of his divising, and with the loss of fifty of our warships and thousands of our spacemen and troopers in a single battle - not to mention the millions of our citizen's and subject's deaths in the meantime - his own death was not only demanded but assured. Osrek forced this war upon me and gathered support in the Senate, and in order to save face I had to appear as though this grand endeavour was of my own making. Thus, here we are. Fortune spent, fortune lost. That is the way of it."

Leshara returned to the subject of the Vulcan subversives. "Why did you tolerate their presence? Why not, exile them or execute them?"

"Because as much as I find the notion of Surak's spectre coming to Romulas and Remus unbidden, and eradicating our culture a disgusting prospect, I do find the notion of unifying our two races a compelling one. And from my meetings with them, I have come to the conclusion they meant us no harm. This war has been disastrous and completely against everything I had intended for our people - and it was of our own doing, Leshara. Not theirs." Fenix looked mournful. His eyes looked heavy now, perhaps with fatigue or the combination of weariness and the burden of state. "You must know now, Leshara, that this war has doomed us in more ways than one. The Vulcan way of peace is not a terrible one, not when you have to bury your son or daughter, or abandon your homeworld to orbital bombardment. I fear this war and it's secret cause will affect the Romulan people in a way we cannot begin to fathom as of yet. If in a hundred year's time we fall back onto old standards your descendants will know that I truly was the monstrous being the history texts will record of me. Oh I know you might think differently, or at least you did before you came to my chambers this evening. Now you've seen with your own eyes that I'm not the marble statue of Romulan fortitude you no doubt thought of me."

"If I thought of you as a statue and nothing else, I would be comforted in knowing you would last for centuries." And Leshara winked at her Praetor.

Fenix chuckled at the joke. Then grew sombre.

"It... troubles you I will soon depart."

"Yes, my lord."

"Do not let such troubles linger inside you, Leshara. Rise above them! You must be strong. We are Romulans! We find strength in unity, and that is what you must foster. All depends on it. Factionalisation will be your most pressing enemy. Rise above it! Our people demand... nothing... less... of your duty..." Fenix sighed. He was weary and seemed to finally succumb to rest.

Leshara rose and departed the chamber, without saying goodbye nor turning back. She kept her raging emotions in check. Now was not the time to release them. The Praetor was right: she had to be a creature of duty. Now was the time to consult with her warriors.






Her ascension to Praetor had been assured the moment Leshara had been called to appear before the ailing Fenix. The other Senators knew this, and the ones gathered in the official chambers had shown their support. Although there were hundreds of Senators, some representing major colonies or districts of Romulas and Remus, or some from minor, frontier worlds, only a half dozen appeared to Leshara that night after her meeting with Fenix. This was no cause for concern, as it was the third day of the week which meant the Senate was not in session.

Leshara entered her chambers and was greeted by her colleagues formally and respectfully. She looked at them and considered where each stood.

There was Vice-proconsul Jord who will soon become her own Proconsul; Chairman Bregal of the Tal'shiar who was decidedly apolitical. Senator Osis, an older woman from the Krackton Segment of Romulas, and Senator Calo. The latter took over her world's representation from her. He was an older man, but seemed content to serve his people and nothing else. The final two men wore the uniforms of the Romulan Star Navy. Admiral Jarok, an old man but an accomplished one. And Commander Ceetok, a junior flag officer. He had commanded two Romulan squadrons that defeated an alliance attack on Chulak a month ago. Chulak had been abandoned and burned, which made Ceetok's victory worthless to any but Leshara. She recognised his merits.

"My fellow Romulans, I have come from meeting with Praetor Fenix. He has named me as his successor. Jolan True, Fenix."

"Jolan True Fenix." said the others. It was formal for the successor to give salutation and farewell in spirit, even if the gathering was not a formal one.

"Please be seated." She did so herself. Behind her the Romulan night felt dark and oppressing. The others found themselves a seat before their new Praetor. "This war is now over. I have decided to call a ceasefire and to work out a truce with the Earthers and their allies." The attitude of the gathered senators and soldiers was unmistakeable: some had expected this, others dreaded. "I make this decision as Praetor, and expect compliance."

"What of Cheron, m'lady?" asked Ceetok. By now, everyone knew of the fate of that planet. It, like Chulak and Galorndan Core before it, were rendered uninhabitable by Romulan retreat.

"We will affect an evacuation if feasible. Admiral Jarok?"

Jarok was an old warrior. He had not enjoyed being ordered to retreat, but did so anyway because that was his duty. He took a moment to ponder a reply.

"Difficult to do, if not impossible, my lady." he replied gruffly. "The merchant fleet is all but gone, and they would be integral for any evacuation to take place. Also our fleet has been reduced seventy five percent. We do not even have the ships to retake Cheron... not that it is worth going back there. The Alliance bombed it into submission, but before they could land a new device was unleashed that would render the surface uninhabitable in weeks."

Leshara knew then that being Praetor would give her hard choices. One of them necessitated she stand by and let her subjects die.

"At most... perhaps a hundred thousand can be saved. Perhaps more, but I would not expect much more."

"Then that many is all we can do. See to it, Admiral."

Jarok would comply, and take whatever personal feelings he had on the matter to his quarters and nowhere else. But Leshara could not afford to have her Admiral simmer unchecked.

"I'll have you know Admiral that I opposed the burning retreat strategy, but was outvoted. I understand there was support for this strategy even in the Fleet."

"Yes. There was. From people who care more for their own pride than that of the Empire's."

"Precisely, and this behaviour is to be punished. Chairman Bregal, the Tal'Shiar is to arrest Senator Rorshar immediately under charge of treason."

"Treason? An... interesting charge, to say the least."

"Is that a refusal?"

"Merely commentary, I assure you. It shall be done... presently, in fact." Bregal initiated a commlink between himself and his underlings.

"Good. Jord, I require a meeting with Senator Bele. See to it at once."

"Yes, my lady."

"Senators Osis and Calo, I am placing the two of you in charge of the treaty negotiations. Use whatever resources you care to, but inform your diplomats that the following stipulations shall be brought into effect:

"There will be no occupation of any Romulan world. Nor any crippling reparations to the Earthers or their allies. Nor will any further dialogue take place between us and them in the future. We will isolate ourselves from the from this moment on, for as long as we deem necessary. In effect, we want nothing to do with them and they should return the feeling. There will be no fleets stationed within our territory, nor will there be any transgressions of our territory.

"All that is secondary and minor in importance to this point: there will be erected between our Empire and their alliance, a buffer zone of 1 light year in length, which will stretch out as long as our borders meet, which will be known as the 'neutral zone'. This will be our safeguard. Entry into it by either side will be an act of war. When you tell them, mean it. Is that clear?"

"I will do so, my lady." said Osis.

"It's a mistake." said Jarok.

"Explain yourself." Leshara was quiet though forceful.

"We are trading away the future to gain a present safety. What good would this neutral zone be if the alliance decides to push into our territory at a later date? Do we trust these barbarians from respecting our territory? What if in the future they grow bold at our complacency and decide to lauch incursions within our space?"

"And what," began Ceetok. "Guarantee is there that we will not do the same to them?" The younger officer meant to counter his superior, but instead drove Jarok to make another point:

"That is another thing. We are not in a position to launch a war of our own against the Earth scum. Why are we being restrained from this option?"

"You accused me of trading away the future to gain momentary security. I say that this is wrong, Admiral, and you know it. We have lost seventy five percent of our fleet. Tens of thousands of our loyal troops have died in the vacuum of space; hundreds of millions died at Cheron, Chulak, and Galorndan Core. This is my initiative in response to that death toll: to prevent another war like this one. What can we do if not appease the savages of the Trailing frontier?"

"This would be a temporary peace at best. And a strategic hindrance at worst. What we have here is an opportunity to maintain a strong forward presence to trailing. We are giving that away."

"I disagree." spoke Ceetok. Jarok looked mildly contemptuous of his younger officer but kept his tongue. "This 'neutral zone' is precisely what is needed right now. Our enemies may grow bold, but that is not an indication of this policy as a failure. More like an irrelevant fear that is overstated."

"If I may interject." began Bregal. "But this can be used to secure our borders. Assuming for the moment that the Earthers and their allies respect this treaty, then a clearly marked border between our two empires, no matter how arbitrary, will give both sides a common frame of reference and a common incentive to maintain the peace. At least for the present. Meanwhile, if no such safeguard falls into place, then what is there to stop the combined Allied fleet from entering our space and raiding it with impunity? By our estimates we outnumber the Triple Alliance in ships and manpower, but our economy is on the verge of collapse. Their commerce raiding has managed to cripple sections of our industry. The shipyards of Remus have been reduced to twenty percent capacity due to a shortage of raw materials. Colonies to our Coreward and Rimward frontiers are in danger of falling to famine and plague due to key shipments being stopped or destroyed.

"The reality is this: no matter how much the Admiralty may wish to continue this war, it is just not possible. We have taken unacceptable death tolls. Our ships burn in space. Their crews, irradiated. Their replacements, not forthcoming. Our people... starve."

"And as I said, the danger of another war may even be worse-"

"Your opinion has been stated, Admiral," cut in Leshara. "And it has been overruled."

The mild rebuke put Jarok in his place. He fell silent then, and for the rest of the meeting. Leshara sighed, and hoped she hadn't made an enemy of the Admiralty.

It was much later in the night, after the meeting had been concluded, that Leshara had been informed of the news.

• PRAETOR FENIX-...Due to the insularity of Romulan society and their databases, reliable and accurate information of Praetor Fenix is few and far between. He has often been represented as a deranged individual, demonised by his successor Praetor Algeron as being the moster who started the war between the RSE and the UEG and their alien allies... He joined the list of tyrants the galaxy would see often in its long history...
  
  ...Praetor Fenix died in his sleep one week after the bombing of Cheron. He died before peace had been formally established between the RSE and UEG-led 'Tripple Alliance'. The night he died was the night Romulas began negotiations for ceasefire and the Treaty of Algeron was proposed...
  
  - Reproduced with permission from MEMORY ALPHA.

[Frank Hipper]

Very good, very well fleshed out.

Keep it coming.

[Stofsk]

Any other comments? Thoughts? Likes, dislikes? Feedback?

Are people enjoying the story thus far? Please let me know if there is anything I can improve upon.

[Crown]

Any other comments? Thoughts? Likes, dislikes? Feedback?

Are people enjoying the story thus far? Please let me know if there is anything I can improve upon.

Dude, you've got like 500 views on this sucker. You would have probably contributed 400 of them, which means there is a possible 100 posters out there that are interested, chill less man!

[Stofsk]

Dude, you've got like 500 views on this sucker. You would have probably contributed 400 of them, which means there is a possible 100 posters out there that are interested, chill less man!

I've actually been careful to not view the thread all that much.

[CJvR]

It seems you have savaged up the war quite a bit compared to the museum, probably a good thing since it would better explain the deep scars it left on the participants.
That the Romulan ships are better, and possibly more numerous, seem to raise the question of why they are getting their asses kicked so badly that they have to abandon the third most important world in the empire.

[Murazor]

That the Romulan ships are better, and possibly more numerous, seem to raise the question of why they are getting their asses kicked so badly that they have to abandon the third most important world in the empire.

It would seem that at the beginning of the war the alliance started attacks against the Romulan merchant fleet. This probably caused big supply problems for starships operating weeks away from their nearest bases and prevented the Romulans from attempting to land ground forces in Alliance planets. If they had to use warships for transport duty, this would have further weakened their forces, thus enabling the inferior but more numerous local forces to defeat them.